Friday Shortcut Gourmet:
Author Archives: Martina
Bresaola Basket with Pea Pesto
The saltiness from the bresaola and the mildness from the pesto makes these little nibbles a perfect start of the evening.
Makes 20
10 slices of bresaola
200 ml green peas
2 tbsp olive oil
50 ml grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
salt
cress, for decoration
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Cut the slices of bresaola in halves and put them in small moulds so they get the shape of a small basket. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then take out and let cool before removing them from the moulds.
3. Mix the peas with oil, parmesan and sunflower seeds. Taste and add salt if needed. Add the pesto to the bresaola baskets and garnish with cress.
Poached Sea Trout with Champagne Sauce and Quinoa with Herbs and Semi-Dried Tomatoes
Fairly straight forward but still with complex tastes. Make sure not to boil the fish, the liquid should be just below boiling point.
Serves 6
750 ml dry white wine
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and finely sliced
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 lemons, finely sliced, pips removed
1 bunch tarragon, 12 leaves finely chopped and remaining leaves stripped
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed
1 kg side of sea trout, skin-on and pin-boned
1 egg yolk
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
250 ml sunflower oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
white pepper
80 ml champagne
6 plum tomatoes, quartered
olive oil
300 ml quinoa
70 g pumpkin seeds, roasted
40 g flaked almonds, roasted
large handful mint, finely chopped
large handful basil, finely chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees, and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place tomatoes on the tray, season and sprinkle with some oil. Roast for 2 hours, or until semi-dried and just starting to brown around the edges.
2. Boil quinoa according to instructions on the package. Set aside until needed.
3. Prepare the poaching liquid: Pour the wine and 2.5 litres water into a large roasting tin, then add the celery, fennel, peppercorns, lemon slices, whole tarragon leaves and capers. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the fish (skin-side down) to the poaching liquid, and simmer for 5 minutes, spooning the liquid over the fish now and then. Turn off the heat and leave the fish in the liquid for a further 10 minutes.
5. Make the sauce by placing egg yolk, vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor. Mix on high speed, adding the oil in a thin stream. You should end up with a thick glossy mayonnaise. Add the mustard, some white pepper and the finely chopped tarragon leaves and mix. Pour in the champagne and mix.
6. Mix quinoa with chopped mint and basil, pumpkin seeds, almonds and the semi-dried tomatoes. Season well and mix to combine.
7. To serve, carefully remove the poached fish using two spatulas and place on a serving platter. Scatter chopped thyme over the fish and grind over some pepper. Serve together with the sauce and the quinoa.
Salted Caramel Truffles
These little pieces of chocolate will certainly impress everyone around the table. If you want a thick chocolate cover you can dip them twice in the chocolate. We all know there is no such thing as too much chocolate!
Makes 50
1 tin (397 ml) of condensed milk
a pinch of sea salt
200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces
1. Place the unopened tin of condensed milk in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 4 hours, making sure you top up the water throughout so the tin is always submerged. Take out and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
2. When cool, open the tin and spoon out the caramel into a bowl, add the salt and mix well. Taste and add more salt if you like. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes so it firms up a bit – you’ll find it much easier to work with.
3. Once chilled, use two teaspoons to make balls the size of a small marble and place on a plate. Put into the freezer for 2 hours, or until firm.
4. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Put on plastic gloves (to not make too much mess), and take the balls out of the freezer. Coat your gloves with melted chocolate, roll one ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process until all the balls are coated. Put into the fridge for about 1 hour to set the chocolate and to allow the caramel to defrost and soften.
Crackers with Glazed Onion and Blue Cheese
Most of this starter can be prepared a day ahead. Serve it as a starter or mingling food, depending on your mood.
Serve with:
Main course: Chicken and Aubergine skewers with Dukkah and Sallad
Dessert: Warm Mango with Ginger and Honey
Yields one tray of cracker and 6 servings of topping
crackers:
80 ml sunflower seeds
50 ml linseed
50 ml sesame seeds
50 ml pumpkin seeds
200 ml cornflour
250 ml boiling water
50 ml olive oil
sea salt
topping:
3 red onions, peeled and each divided into 8 sections
2 shallots, peeled and each divided into 6 sections
olive oil for frying
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
75 g blue cheese of your choice
sea salt and pepper
1. Start off making the crackers: Heat the oven to 150 degrees. Mix the seeds with cornflour. Add boiling water and olive oil and mix well. Spread out on a baking sheet on a baking tray and make sure to spread it out to make it as thin as possible. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
2. Now prepare the glazed onions: Fry the onions in a generous amount of oil in a pan on medium heat for about 15 minutes to soften the onion without burning it. Add the vinegar and sugar, mix and fry for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Until here you can prepare a day ahead.
3. On the day of serving: Heat the oven to 225 degrees. Break the cracker into pieces. Divide onion mixture over the crackers and add pieces of cheese on top of the onion. Gratinate in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve as it is or with a salad.
Chicken and Aubergine Skewers with Pistachio Dukkah and Orange and Feta Sallad
This Morocco-inspired meal will please everyone at the table, and much of it can be prepared a day ahead! Roll the sticky skewers in the dukkah for the perfect taste sensation!
Serve with:
Starter: Crackers with Glazed Onion and Blue Cheese
Dessert: Warm Mango with Ginger and Honey
Serves 4
500 g chicken breast, cut into 3 cm cubes
2 large aubergines, cut into 3 cm cubes
marinade:
3 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 tbsp + 2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
salt and pepper
dukkah:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
50 g peeled pistachios
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
salt
Sallad:
quinoa
4 oranges, zest from 2, segments from 4
1 lemon, zest and juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp harissa
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
2 sallad onion, finely chopped
400 g feta cheese
50 ml chopped mint
100 g baby spinach
1. Mix the ingredients to the marinade and divide between two bowls. Add the chicken and aubergine to the bowls and let marinade in the fridge for 24 hours.
2. To make the dukkah roast sesame seeds, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a dry pan until they start giving off a scent. In the meantime, mix the pistachios until coarsely ground and add to a bowl. Mix the roasted seeds in the mixer and add to the pistachios. Incorporate the rest of the spices and mix well.
3. Boil the quinoa according to instructions on the package. Zest 2 of the oranges and peel to cut segments of the flesh. Keep the juice that forms. Mix quinoa with orange juice and zest, lemon juice and zest, olive oil, harissa and spices. Let cool. Until here you can prepare a day in ahead.
4. Soak the wooden skewers in warm water for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 220 degrees. Add the chicken and the aubergines to the skewers separately. Bake the aubergine skewers in the oven for 30 minutes, turning them around after half the time. Pan fry the chicken skewers to give colour on all sides, then add to the tray in the oven during the last 5-10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining ingredients to the sallad including the segmented oranges and mix.
6. Serve the sallad room tempered and the skewers with the dukkah to sprinkle generously on top.
Warm Mango with Honey and Ginger
This dessert can be heated on the grill or in the oven depending on what you prefer. Serve it with homemade vanilla ice-cream!
Serve with:
Starter: Crackers with Glazed Onion and Blue Cheese
Main course: Chicken and Aubergine skewers with Dukkah and Sallad
Serves 4
2 mango, peeled and cut into pieces
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp honey
50 ml desiccated coconut, roasted
Fresh mint leaves, chopped, for decoration
1. If you are preparing this dish on the grill use an aluminium tray, otherwise you can choose to make a package with aluminium foil.
2. Heat the grill or put the oven to 200 degrees. Add butter to a pan, let it melt, then add ginger and honey. Put the mango and the butter mixture in the aluminium package and mix well. Grill for 5-10 minutes then remove from the grill and sprinkle coconut and mint on top. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.
Pan-Fried Goat’s Cheese, Black Cod and Rosemary Panna-Cotta with Rhubarb
Saturday Refined Gourmet
Pan-Fried Goat’s Cheese, Hazelnuts, Honey Dressing and Thyme
If you prefer, feel free to grill the goat’s cheese instead!
Serve as part of a menu with:
– Main course: Black cod
– Dessert: Rosemary panna cotta
Serves 4 people
200 g goat’s cheese, with skin on
olive oil for pan-frying
150 g whole skinned hazelnuts
50 ml olive oil
50 ml clear honey
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
8 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
salt and pepper
1. Start off by roasting the hazelnuts in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes, taking them out after half the time and stirring them. They are done when they have an even golden colour.
2. For the dressing, mix honey, olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add the hazelnuts to the dressing and mix.
3. Cut even slices of the goats cheese, about 1 cm in thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a pan with olive oil and quickly fry the cheese for 2 minutes on each side to give colour.
4. Put the goat’s cheese on a plate, add hazelnuts with the dressing and sprinkle some thyme leaves on top.
Miso Marinated Black Cod with Pickled Ginger, Red Rice and Vegetables
Black cod is a soft and fatty fish, without the strong taste of fat fish like tuna or mackerel. This recipe is inspired by a dish from Nobu restaurant. The sharpness of the miso and sweetness of the mirin work perfectly to cut the fish’s fattiness. Remember that preparation starts 3 days in advance!
Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Pan-fried goat’s cheese
– Dessert: Rosemary panna cotta
Serves 4 people
4 x 150 g skinless, boneless black cod fillets
3 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp sake
120 ml white miso paste
80 ml caster sugar
vegetable oil for frying
3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly using a mandolin
50 ml rice vinegar
50 ml caster sugar
a pinch of salt
300 ml red camargue and wild rice
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 baby pak choi, washed and halved lengthways
sesame oil for frying
100 ml soy beans
1. In a small pan, bring the miring and sake to the boil. Whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat, whisking, just until dissolved. Let cool, then add to the fish, making sure to coat both sides of the fillets. Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
2. Mix rice vinegar and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Take aside, add salt and ginger. Let cool, then seal and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours to develop the flavour (this can be prepared a day ahead).
3. Boil the rice according to instructions. Once cooked, discard remaining liquid and add butter. Add the rice to a small cup and push down the rice to make it more compact. Keep warm until serving.
4. Boil the soy beans for 3 minutes. Refresh in cold water, then peel off the skin.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat a grill pan and oil it. Scrape the marinade off the fish. Add the fish and cook over high heat until browned, about 2 minutes, on each side. Transfer the fish to the oven and roast for 5 minutes, until the fish is flaky.
6. Put the remaining marinade into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then take aside and keep warm.
7. Fry the pak choi in sesame oil in high heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt.
8. To plate, carefully turn over the cup with the rice onto the plate and remove the cup. Add the fish, vegetables and sauce. Decorate with some pickled ginger.
Rosemary Panna-Cotta with Rhubarb Cream
Take the opportunity and use the rhubarbs before the season is finished. They do not need to be peeled for this recipe since we will only use the liquid in the end, and also because most of the beautiful colour lies in the outer part.
Serve as part of a menu with:
– Starter: Pan-fried goat’s cheese
– Main course: Black cod
Serves 6
450 ml double cream
200 ml whole milk
3 gelatine leaves
100 g caster sugar
4 sprigs of rosemary, roughly shopped, keep a few leaves aside for decoration
500 g rhubarb, washed and cut into 1 cm slices (don’t peel them)
225 g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
150 ml water
1 gelatine leaf
a couple of strawberries for decoration
1. One day ahead, place rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice and water in a pan and cook on a gentle heat for 20 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool, then transfer to a fridge and keep refrigerated overnight.
2. The following day, make the panna cotta. Put the gelatine leaves in a small bowl of cold water to soften. Meanwhile, pour the cream, milk, sugar and rosemary into a pan, and heat gently to bring to the boil. Remove from the stove, add the gelatine and stir until dissolved. Leave to stand for 20-30 minutes until cooled. Strain the mixture through a sieve into serving glasses, then chill for at least three hours.
3. Sieve the rhubarb flesh from the liquid. Put the gelatine leaf in cold water. Reheat the rhubarb liquid and add the gelatine, mix and let cool. Once room tempered, add to the panna cotta and keep refrigerated.
4. Before serving, decorate the panna cotta with some strawberries and sprigs of rosemary.
Mint Lemonade Drink
Why not start the evening with a refreshing summer drink!? This one will certainly put you in the mood, with or without vodka!
Serve as part of a menu with:
-Main course: Salmon with Piperade Basquaise and Cheddar-Quinoa
-Dessert: Vanilla-Crème Fraiche with Balsamico and Berries
Yields 1 L
250 ml caster sugar
250 ml fresh juice from lemon
1 large package of mint (100 g), roughly chopped, keep a few leaves for decoration
optional: vodka
1. Start off making the sugar syrup by bringing sugar and 250 ml water to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
2. Place the lemon juice in a large pitcher. Add 500 ml water, about 250 ml sugar sirup and chopped mint. Refrigerate and let infuse for about 2 hours.
3. Take out and sieve the lemonade. Keep refrigerated until use. Serve with ice and mint leaves, and a bit of vodka if you like.
Seared Salmon with Piperade Basquaise and Cheddar-Quinoa
This dish is simple but oh so tasty. A perfectly cooked fish with the sweet, slow-cooked vegetables is hard to beat. Feel free to prepare the Piperade Basquaise a day in advance and simply reheat it on the day before serving.
Serve as part of a menu with:
-Starter: Mint Lemonade Drink
-Dessert: Vanilla-Crème Fraiche with Balsamico and Berries
Serves 4
4 x 150 g salmon filet, skin on
For the Piperade Basquaise:
2 red capsicum (bell pepper)
2 yellow capsicum (bell pepper)
4 tomatoes, blanched and peeled
olive oil
4 brown onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 thyme sprigs, levees picked
sea salt and pepper
150 ml quinoa
300 ml vegetable broth
50 ml grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1. For the Piperade Basquaise: Peel the capsicum with a peeler. Thinly slice each capsicum, removing the white ribs from the inside. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, then remove the seeds and inner core and thinly slice the flesh. Fry onion, garlic and thyme (keeping some of the leaves for decoration) in oil in a pan with a pinch of sea salt to help the onions to soften. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid giving colour to the onion. Add the capsicum and cook for another 20-30 minutes, until very soft. Now add the tomato and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix quinoa with the vegetable broth and let boil according to instructions on the package. Once ready, remove from heat and add the cheese. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
3. For the salmon: Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and fry in oil in a pan with the skin-side down until it has a nice colour. Transfer to the oven for another 4-5 minutes.
4. For the plating, use a ring mold to assemble the quinoa at the bottom, followed by the Piperade Basquaise. Carefully remove the ring mold and place the fish as illustrated in the picture, with the skin-side up. Decorate with fresh thyme leaves and sprinkle some sea salt over the fish.
Vanilla-Crème Fraiche with Balsamico Reduction and Berries
Sweet and tangy in a lovely combination. Add your favourite berries from the season and enjoy!
Serve as part of a menu with:
-Starter: Mint Lemonade Drink
-Main course: Salmon with Piperade Basquaise and Cheddar-Quinoa
Serves 4
2 vanilla pods
400 ml crème fraiche
1 tbsp honey
200 ml berries of your choice, washed
1 mint sprig for decoration
100 ml balsamic vinegar
50 ml caster sugar
1. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar to a pot and bring to the boil. Let simmer to reduce the liquid to about half, to a sirupy consistency. Take off the heat and let cool.
2. Cut the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Mix the seeds with crème fraiche and honey.
3. Add the crème fraiche mixture to a serving bowl. Top with berries, add vinegar reduction and decorate with some mint.